Shinobi of Legend
by Ty16
Summary: Konoha has shaped many powerful ninja in its years of existence, but none like the ones in the current generation. Watch as shinobi become legends.


**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of Naruto. If I did, the fillers would not have been that long and Naruto would definitely have more to show after 2 ½ years of training with one of the Densetsu no Sannin.

**Summary: **Konoha has shaped many legends in its years of existence, but none like the ones in the current generation. Watch as shinobi become legends.

**Chapter 1: A Battle too Close to Home**

The village of Konoha had changed in two and a half years. After Sunagakure no Sato had discovered that their Kazekage was dead, they broke all ties with Otogakure no Sato and allied with the Leaf. Otogakure, though it had lost its only ally, decided to officially declare war on Konoha. In the space of the two and a half years, many battles had been fought, none inside any hidden village since the Sand-Sound Invasion. Still, many lives had been lost, ninja and civilian alike.

No longer in a time of peace, the Leaf had quickly mobilized. Shinobi began performing more dangerous missions not as hired help but as trained soldiers willing to risk their lives to defend their home. The civilians of the village also took part in the mobilization. Money was donated towards the war effort, the manufacturing of shinobi supplies tripled, and children were encouraged to enter the Shinobi Academy in order to become ninja able to protect their home.

Following Sasuke's defection to Otogakure to receive training from Orochimaru, Naruto left with Jiraiya on a three year training trip and Sakura began learning from Tsunade. After this news became general knowledge, the populace of Konoha started to consider those three shinobi as their new Densetsu no Sannin. This theory became even more popular after a year or so when Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura began completing missions in addition to their training. They were gaining quite a reputation, not just in Konoha, but also among the other Shinobi Nations.

They were not the only ones making such a name for themselves. The other ninja of their graduating class were also gaining a reputation among the other countries. They were known as the Rookie Nine because of the fact that all nine of them had been entered into the Chuunin Exams as rookies fresh out of the academy.

Team 8, consisting of Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino, was considered to be among the best tracking and reconnaissance teams in the Leaf, despite their young age. Inuzuka Kiba was even being considered for the Hunter-nin division of the ANBU. Team 10, an impressive detainment and capture unit, was the cell of the next Ino-Shika-Cho generation. Its members were Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji, and Nara Shikamaru.

Although not part of the Rookie Nine, Team Gai was just as popular. Its initial claim to fame was Hyuuga Neji. His prowess in the Jyuuken style of combat employed by his clan raised a few eyebrows during his second Chuunin Exam. In time, the taijutsu expert Rock Lee and the weapon master Tenten soon began to turn heads.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**2 ½ Years Since Sasuke's Defection - Outskirts of Hi no Kuni **

The three companions had been leaping through the trees at a steady pace for hours now. The leader of the small group called for a rest, much to the chagrin of one of his charges.

"We don't need to stop. I'm not tired at all!" the disgruntled one told the white-haired man who had halted their journey. He wore black sandals on his feet and was dressed in black pants with bandages around the ankles. He had a black short-sleeved t-shirt on with a dark green vest over it which marked him as a chuunin level shinobi. The hitai-ate on his forehead with the leaf symbol on it marked him as a chuunin of Konoha. It was held on by a black cloth. On his arms he had more bandages that stopped just below his elbows.

"You may not be, but we might," the leader retorted.

"I'm fine," the third member spoke, a slight smirk on his face. "Don't tell me the Gallant Jiraiya can't keep up with us."

Jiraiya grumbled under his breath and glared at the dark-haired man next to him. "Since when are you on Naruto's side?" he asked.

"Since it became fun to annoy you," the boy replied. He wore the same black pants as his companion, but that's where the similarities ended. Instead of a shirt, the dark-haired one wore bandages on the lower part of his torso. Over that he wore an open black coat which hung down to the middle of his shins. The collar of the coat reached slightly past his chin. Two white stripes went diagonally from the center of the back over his shoulders to the center of the front. In between the stripes on the back was the Uchiha crest. He also had bandages on his wrists with seals on the front of them.

"Well, you may both feel fine," Jiraiya started, "but when we get back to Konoha we might end up charging into a battle-"

"Which is why we can't waste time here Ero-Sennin!"

Jiraiya just sighed at Naruto's narrow-mindedness. Time and time again he tried to teach Naruto this lesson, yet he always seemed to forget whenever something personal was involved. "Naruto!" he yelled at him, quickly getting his attention. "You need to pace yourself. If we waste all our energy trying to get to Konoha what good will we be in the fight?"

"But we need to warn Tsunade-obaachan!"

"She has shinobi posted throughout Hi no Kuni. Well trained shinobi. They'll notice the attack force headed to the village."

"Demo, demo-"

"Give it up, usuratonkachi," Sasuke cut in.

Grumbling to himself, Naruto gave in. "Are we setting up camp here Ero-Sennin?" he asked.

"No. We'll rest here for a few minutes then continue on to a town nearby. Once we get there we can eat and find an inn."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Konoha**

Hyuuga Benjirou activated his Byakugan and looked deep into the forest in front of the village as he had done periodically since he started his shift. He was watching for any scouts reporting signs of an enemy ahead. Spotting nothing he returned his sight to normal. 'How boring,' he thought to himself. When he became a chuunin he didn't expect to get the more glamorous missions. Those were reserved for the jounin and more experienced chuunin in the village. Still, he wished he could get something a little more exciting.

Benjirou sighed and activated his byakugan for the seventh time. He searched once more for fellow Konoha shinobi, this time finding one. Boredom gone he focused on the shinobi and his surroundings. The man was heavily injured, yet still traveling at impressive speeds. Benjirou remembered him as a jounin he once worked with on a border patrol mission. Atsuo was his name. He quickly checked Atsuo's surroundings for Oto shinobi before shutting off his byakugan and disappearing in a column of smoke to notify the ANBU stationed not to far from him on the village walls.

"Taichou, a heavily injured jounin is heading towards the village traveling at very high speeds," he told his masked commander.

"Is he alone?" the ANBU asked.

"I found no enemies in his immediate area, but considering his injuries and the speed at which he is traveling, there is a possibility he either was or still is being followed."

"Go report your findings to the Hokage and let her know we're sending a squad to investigate."

"Hai taichou!" With that, Benjirou once more disappeared in smoke.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Konoha Hospital – 2 Hours Later**

A nurse walked into the hospital room and checked the chart of the man lying in the bed. The beeping of the machines monitoring him was the only sound present. As she set the chart down, the man groaned and began to shift in his sleep. She quickly alerted the medical ninja on call. That med-nin was Haruno Sakura.

She had changed much since her genin days. Her hair was worn longer than it was after her first Chuunin Exam, yet still did not go past her shoulders. Her forehead protector sat atop her head on a red cloth. She wore a red top with no sleeves and a pink skirt slit up the sides and the front. Under her skirt she wore black shorts to protect her modesty. Finishing off her ensemble was a pair of slim shinobi boots which reached just below her knees.

Sakura stepped into the room, checked the man's chart, and performed a diagnostic technique on him. She then turned and spoke to the nurse. "Hokage-sama requested that she be informed when he wakes up so go ahead and send word that he should be regaining consciousness soon." The nurse did as she was told.

Ten minutes later Atsuo woke up to the sight of the Hokage, Nara Shikaku, and a few ANBU. "Hokage-sama!" he said with surprise.

"None of that. I'm just your doctor for now. How are you feeling," Tsunade asked.

"My left arm feels like it's been crushed, and I can barely feel my legs," he told her.

"I see. Well, your legs I can explain. When you were on your way back to the village you used way too much chakra and damaged your chakra coils. We had to numb your legs so we could wake you up. Now about your arm, not to mention the other injuries we took care of. Do you remember what happened?"

Atsuo took a minute to try and recall what happened. It took him some time, but eventually he began rattling off details. "My team was patrolling one of the minor trade routes that leads to the village and another Konoha shinobi came running into the area." Atsuo paused and a look of concentration came over his face. "It was obvious that he was in a battle. He started to say something about an attack force and missing ninja, but before he could finish he got hit in the head with a kunai. Before we knew it we were under attack. We tried to fight them off but they outnumbered us. I wanted to stay, but my team made me run back here." It was obvious by the expression on his face that the memories were becoming stronger, and they weren't pleasant. His eyes started to water and he was getting worked up. "I didn't want to leave them, but they wouldn't let me stay! They told me I had to go! I didn't want to leave them to die!"

Atsuo started to raise himself out of his bed, but Tsunade pressed him back down and placed a glowing green hand over his head. He gradually calmed down and began to fall asleep, muttering about his lost comrades.

Tsunade stepped out of the room and ordered a nurse nearby to keep Atsuo sedated. She then turned to the head of the ANBU squad with her and said to him: "Send out a summons for all senior jounin to assemble at the meeting chambers." She turned to the Nara and told him to follow her.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Village of Kana**

Naruto and Sasuke sat at the bar listening to the chatter around them. Jiraiya had left them as soon as they checked into the inn, saying he was going to "gather information." Both Naruto and Sasuke knew that while he would be gathering some relevant info, he was mostly going to drink and pick up women.

The two listened to the conversations going on in the bar, checking for anything important. A few men, traders by the looks of them, were having a conversation that caught their attention.

"Why are you going to Konoha in the first place?"

"I need to hire some ninja for my trip to Grass Country."

"Can't you go to some other village? With this war going on, you won't be able to get anywhere close.

"I'll be fine. The fighting is mostly on the north side of Fire Country. No Oto shinobi have made it down here in the south. The only way to do it would be to go by sea and that would take them through the Mist's territory. They don't let anyone in."

"What about those rumors of Oto hiring missing ninja to attack anyone in Fire Country headed for the village?"

"I don't believe those for a second and even if it is true, it's worth the risk. You can't find quality shinobi anywhere but Konoha."

"Really?"

"Of course! Haven't you heard about that Hyuuga? He's the greatest genius his clan has seen in generations and he's only 16!"

"Okay that's one ninja. Who else?"

"There' this other kid, only 15, and he's already one of the Hokage's strategists. And there's an Inuzuka, one of those dog users, who's better than most hunter-nin. If that's not enough for you, there's also the Neo-Sannin!"

"Neo-Sannin? I thought that was just a myth."

"No way. They used to be a genin team two and a half years ago under the copy ninja," Naruto and Sasuke's interest increased even more at the mention of their former team, "but now they're all studying under the old Sannin. The girl is almost as good a medic as the Hokage and she's the same age as the genius. The kid that wore orange is even better than her. He fights like the Gama-Sennin and can even summons toads. The Uchiha is even stronger than the other two though. The legend is that he moves so fast he can kill you before you even realize it!"

Naruto stopped listening to the man and turned away from Sasuke so that he didn't have to see the smirk on his face.

"Seems like everyone else agrees that I'm stronger, usuratonkachi. Why can't you see it?"

"Urusai, teme," was his response.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Konoha – 1 Hour Later**

The village was in frenzy. Half and hour ago jounin from all over the village poured out of the Hokage Tower and began evacuating the outermost parts of the village. No one knew what was happening or why, but they quickly followed anyways.

Tsunade was now deeper in the Tower meeting with the clan heads and the shinobi part of the village council. They were discussing the next course of action.

"I think the next step is to enact our other defensive measures. When Atsuo once again regains consciousness we can question him further on who attacked him," Tsunade proposed.

"Why have we not fully evacuated the village to the escape tunnels?" a member of the council asked.

"Doing so would cause a panic. We need to keep the village calm until we know what we're facing. With the outer regions of the village evacuated, we'll have time to evacuate the remainder of the people should we be attacked." Most of the council accepted Tsunade's reasoning, although there was a minority who were less willing.

When the others had finished what they were saying, Hyuuga Hiashi took that as his cue to speak up. "I propose that we also send a reconnaissance team composed of available members of the Hyuuga clan to the surrounding forest. From there they should move further into the rest of Fire Country's territory and search for any signs of the enemy. We cannot pin our hopes on one ninja waking up in time to provide us with the information we need."

Danzou spoke up after Hiashi "I do not see why he was not questioned before being put back to sleep." His challenge to the Hokage was obvious with his accusatory tone.

"He was in no condition to provide an answer. Trying would have only brought more stress to him and his body and as his doctor I don't think he was ready for that.

"You should not have been acting as his doctor," he responded. "You should have been acting as this village's Hokage."

Tsunade and Danzou traded veiled barbs back and forth as the meeting continued. Tsunade soon became aware of her grip on the table as it was slowly cracking. Suddenly a large noise resounded through the room and for a minute she thought it was from the section of the table snapping. It didn't take her long to realize that the sound came from outside the Tower. Her suspicions were further confirmed when an ANBU member ran into the room and told her that they were under attack and that the enemy was already in the village.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Outskirts of Fire Country, Near Konoha**

Naruto, Sasuke, and Jiraiya had left the town earlier and were now traveling towards the village. They weren't to far from the base of the mountain that held the faces of the previous Hokages. When they heard the explosions, they looked at each other and quickly took off toward their home.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Konoha – Top of the Hokage Tower**

"What the hell! How did they get in!?"

"It appears they tunneled underground. There are missing ninja from Iwa in their ranks which explains why their tunnels weren't detected. They must've been traveling miles underground.

'_Kuso. With the enemy in the heart of the village, evacuating will be that much harder_,' Tsunade thought to herself. Still she gave the order to move the villagers to the escape tunnels. "Make sure everyone knows that the civilians are the priority! Enemies are to be incapacitated and left to be taken care of once the villagers are safe! Once that's done have the village walls shut and get people to collapse those tunnels! I don't want any of the enemy escaping! They wanted into the village, now they won't get out. Not alive!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Center of Konoha**

Konohagakure no Sato was in chaos. The villagers couldn't tell who was a friendly shinobi trying to save them and who was an enemy trying to butcher them. As a result, people were dying left and right. The genin and chuunin were trying to move people out of harms way, but they were unprepared for an assault of this magnitude. They were unorganized and unable to defend themselves and others from the missing-nin who attacked with reckless abandon.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Escape Tunnels – 30 Minutes Later**

Sakura finished escorting the last of those who were in the hospital to the escape tunnels and was now providing care to those coming in with injuries. No one coming was suffering from anything too serious. Those with more serious wounds either died in the village or didn't survive the trip. When she finished providing treatment for the patient she was working on she received word that another squad of medic-nin had arrived. With her relief provided she moved to the section of the safe zone that provided a lookout over the village. She saw the fires raging in the distance and the destruction being wrought and knew what she had to do. As she was getting ready to leave, she ran into more members of the Rookie Nine: Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata, and Aburame Shino, the former Team 8. Nothing was said, Sakura merely nodding. With that gesture it was understood that they would both be going to help. Before they could leave however, some chuunin and a few jounin arrived with a large group of civilians. One look and they knew what Sakura and Team 8 had planned.

"Your orders are to stay here and defend the shelter until the attack is over."

"Like hell we're just going to sit here while people are dying out there!" Kiba said.

"All civilians not already in hiding have been evacuated."

"Based on the tactics used by the enemy, it is highly improbable that anyone in hiding will be able to remain hidden. The area-wide techniques in use will uncover any hiding places currently in use by noncombatants and they will be killed." The cool, calculated response belonged only to Shino.

"Shino's right!" Sakura chimed in. "There are injured civilians out there too! They need medical attention right now. I've been trained as a combat medic. I can handle myself out there. Just give us a back up team of medics and we can go help them!" The jounin were about to respond, but they were cut off by the arrival of three others.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan!" said a voice Sakura hadn't heard in years. "I'm going to make sure these bastards pay for stepping one foot in our village." Everyone looked up and saw Naruto, Jiraiya, and Sasuke; although no one recognized him because he had drawn his hood up and covered the Uchiha crest on his back.

"Jiraiya-sama!" the jounin said. The sight of him filled them with hope that they would be able to eliminate the enemy that much easier. The villagers on the other hand focused on the blond haired man next to him and were filled with disgust and hate. For the most part, it seemed Naruto didn't notice.

"What's the situation? How did the enemy get into the village already?" Jiraiya asked.

"They tunneled underground. It seems many high level missing ninja from Iwa are in the attack force."

'_So the rumors are true. Damn you Orochimaru_.' While Jiraiya was thinking, Naruto was with Sasuke at the lookout point, looking at what happened to the village. He could hear faint screams coming from the village and he could see lots of destruction. He turned around and made up his mind.

"Ero-sennin, lets go!"

"Naruto, I need to report to the Hokage and you two need to stay here."

"Like hell!" Naruto said, unknowingly echoing Kiba's previous statement. "I'm not going to sit by while my village is destroyed!" he shouted. Some of the people in the crowd were surprised by the fierceness of the boy and the emotion they could hear in his voice.

"Naruto, arguing is a waste of time." Sasuke started, noticing the gasp of Sakura as she recognized his voice.

"Don't tell me you're siding with him Hawk?" Hawk was the codename the two agreed on before entering the village when Sasuke said he wasn't ready to reveal himself yet.

"Actually, I was going to say it's a waste of time because," at this he smirked and took of his hood, "we can just go." Everyone in the room looked upon the Uchiha with mixed emotions. Some were happy that their Uchiha had returned. Others had not forgotten his betrayal a little over two years past. Naruto looked at him with a wide grin on his face.

"Oi, teme. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Baka. Of course I am. Why do you think I suggested it." Naruto didn't take the bait and simply turned back to Jiraiya while Sasuke took off his jacket.

"Ero-sennin. We're going and that's final. Catch us if you can!" When he finished what he wanted to say both he and Naruto turned towards the window cut out of the stone and jumped out. Everyone ran to the available windows and looked down to try and find out why both boys would jump to their deaths. They were surprised at what they saw.

As Sasuke free-fell, he concentrated and focused on his curse seal. The seal responded and the dark spots began pouring out, but instead of spreading from one spot the whole seal moved towards his back and his wings spread out from the dark spot there. As Naruto fell he summoned his chakra and began manipulating the air around him. As he gathered enough he forced it to carry him upward into the sky.

That was the sight that greeted everyone looking for the two suicidal teens, not to mention the many others watching through other windows in the other lookout areas of the shelter. Instead of staying together, Sasuke soared downward and flew low to the ground towards the village seeking out any enemies. Naruto on the other hand soared high into the air to the point where people could barely see him. He put his hands into a seal and shouted "**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" Thousands of floating Narutos filled the air before shouting and flying straight into the heart of the village.


End file.
